


The New Captain

by xsunny



Category: Joyeux Noël | Merry Christmas (2005)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Post-Canon, Whump, World War I, hurt!Horstmayer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21544081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsunny/pseuds/xsunny
Summary: After the Christmas truce in 1914, Lieutenant Horstmayer continued his journey.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	The New Captain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Darth_Cannizard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth_Cannizard/gifts).



> Dedicated to Darth Cannizard and the Joyeux Noël fandom. May we have many stories :)
> 
> Warning: If any of the the tags or following topics may trigger you, or make you feel uncomfortable, please be safe and don't read this story. 
> 
> * This is a fan made fiction based on a movie with characters and a plot that are loosely based on something from real life. In no way this is intended to depict facts as they were, or romanticize war. That's why it's purposely not going to use real names, battles, or locations, the only concessions being nationalities.  
> * Disregard for real life Military rules, protocols, etc, in favor of headcanon ones (no disrespect intended).  
> * Mistreatment of a favorite character.  
> * Use of German words because, frankly, _Deutsch ist sehr schön._  
> 

**February 10, 1917.**

_ Oberleutnant _ Karl Horstmayer was completely and utterly fed up as he climbed the endless steps in front to the Headquarters. He had been summoned by a representative of the High Command a day before, taken from the two-day leave in a small town close to the East border he and his men so painstankinly had earned after three consecutive wins over the French troops.

He hated Military politics, especially when he couldn't understand the necessity of a low ranking officer such as himself being brought all the way to the Capital, a waste of time and resources. His Regiment was missing ammunition, medicines, and even food was being rationed - but nothing should be more important than a few documents the bureaucrats insisted were filled incorrectly. 

It didn't help his humour either they had also denied him permission to visit his wife again, Kaiser knows why. 

.:.

Visiting the  _ Hauptquartier _ was always an experience that left him tense with protocols and conventions he could not wrap his practical mind around. It was also an exercise in patience, waiting in small rooms and receptions, filling uncountable forms, being polite to secretaries and assistants that treated him like his worn-out uniform and muddy boots were a nuisance to their clean and organized environment. Essentially, bureaucracy at its worse. 

Commanding a Regiment in the battlefront seemed a much easier task than dealing with them, he thought gloomily.

.:. 

Horstmayer arrived there knowing he was to be scolded on requisitions regarding ammunition and provisions, that much was stated in the official letter handed to him by the men of  _ Feldgendarmerie _ that went to the board to escort him to the Headquarters. But while their presence made him uncomfortable during the whole drive, he also knew they would take him directly to the right place to talk to the right superior.

In his defense, he had done all he could while filling those requisitions, but there were too many loopholes and no intelligible information available. It was not as if he didn't know what the numbers should be, he was an Engineer and could put two and two together, the problem was in fact connected to the loops in the system: he should have certain data, but in order to have said data, he should know he needed it and where to find it. He also needed to deal with having some of it not being written or explained anywhere, available only inside the minds of bureaucrats who were not keen on sharing the information. He was doomed to fail from the start.

So, when he was finally led to Captain Hans Weintropp's office, some good hours after leaving his camp, all he could think about was how he was finally only a few minutes away from being able to leave and go back to his camp. They would slap him on the wrist and finally assign him the provisions needed,  _ natürlich _ .

Of course not. 

.:.

The meeting with the Captain responsible for his Regiment's provisions was a tense affair from the beginning. The man never asked him to take a seat or closed the door, so the conversation was held with him politely standing holding his hat, explaining the unexplainable - that yes, there was no way he could have not failed filling the forms and submitting the documents when there was not enough information available.

_ "Yes,  _ Herr Hauptmann, _ the numbers are not correct…", "Why? Because the information was not available- no,  _ Herr Hauptmann, _ I'm not being insubordinate, I really didn't know it was available... or even know that I needed that data you are talking about, sir- to be honest, I didn't even know it existed...", " _ Jawohl, Herr Hauptmann."

It was a tiring process, humiliating in a sense, but Horstmayer was a patient man. He listened to the explanations on why he should have known better with a stoic face and counting the seconds for the meeting to be over. They were briefly interrupted by Admiral Martin Windward joining them - the Captain offered to dismiss Horstmayer without any hesitation, but the Admiral insisted he would wait for him there, preparing a whisky from Weintropp's stash and lounging on the couch like the room was his. 

The Captain resumed the conversation with vigour, probably showing off to the Admiral. Karl would have rolled his eyes, if he could. It was becoming clear he wouldn't get the resources needed, and not only that, he was being held responsible for their need of it. No solution whatsoever was being presented by the Captain, who denied all suggestions given, seemingly trying to harm a Regiment only to show who was in charge. 

When the Captain finally told him in no uncertain terms that, no matter what, Horstmayer's lack of professionalism and regard to rules were going to cause his Regiment not having the available resources, the Lieutenant finally gave up on the civil tone, arguing the unfairness of it all and that there was something very wrong when the country was leaving her men on their own. 

The Captain ordered him to shut up, coming to stand close to him. "Your insubordination is appalling, Lieutenant! I thought we were sending better men to this war!" The yelling could be heard from outside the room. 

Horstmayer yelled back. "Do you know what you are saying,  _ sir_ ?! Do you know  _ how _ things  _ are _ down there? You don't know a thing about it!"

He was a backhanded with violence, surprise making him not notice his nose bleeding at first.

"Hand me your sidearm, Lieutenant," the angered Captain ordered.

Horstmayer looked the man in the eyes as he handed his sidearm. He refrained from touching his bleeding nose, but he could feel the blood trickling to his uniform. 

"If you want to be treated as a boy, you'll be treated as one." The Captain proceeded passing around him and asking his Secretary to call Security. "A night in jail followed by a dressing down in the morning will show you what it means to be a real man."

Karl was speechless. He was there to try and solve a bureaucratic problem preventing his troops receiving much needed support, not to be demoted and let them unaided.

He was about to state that when two stern looking Security Guards entered the room. 

"Take him to a cell." Captain Weintropp said with disdain.

Horstmayer kept staring at the Captain while the Guards briefly searched him for arms and handcuffed him. It was only when he was marched from the room he remembered the presence of Admiral Windward, somberly thinking not saluting the man on his way out could not possibly hold any worse repercussions. 

.:.

Lieutenant Karl Horstmayer, soon to be-  _ whatever _ they decided - sat at the wood bench of the cell with his hands still handcuffed, no doubt another treat from the Captain, and the prospect of a whole night without sleep. This whole section was empty, only his thoughts to keep him company. 

He felt helpless. He felt angered. He also felt utterly hungry.

No food or water had been offered, but they had at least allowed him to use the restroom, where he promptly drank from the sink and checked the damage done to his face. Both eyes were blackened, and his nose looked swollen. It hurt, but it didn't feel like the wretched man had broken it. He noted with dismay, though, that his uniform was soiled by blood. 

As he tried to get comfortable for the night with the handcuffs back on, he thought about his men going back to the battlefield under-provisioned. He tried not to think about it, lest the impotence and anxiety of his duty not being performed get the better of him. He tried to think about something else, but was at a loss. Wherever his thoughts wandered to, it looked bad.

The dressing down would be first thing in the morning. That was one more failing, when he had tried his best since day one. This added up to the last years fighting a war that showed no signs of ending, not being able to see his wife in many months, and being outcasted by many in the Military after the Christmas truce with the French and the Scottish. It was as if he could get no reprieve.

**February 11, 1917.**

Sometime during morning Horstmayer was awakened from a pitiful sleep by the sound of a siren. His disorientation was short-lived, though; as he tried to rub his face and encountered resistance from his still handcuffed hands, he remembered all that had happened the previous day and sat up on the uncomfortable bench, his hat resting close to him. 

He heard the gates to this sector of cells opening, followed by the sound of footsteps. 

The Admiral from the previous day and two Security Guards appeared in front of his cell. 

"Mind if I join you, Lieutenant Horstmayer?" Admiral Windward asked good naturedly. 

As one of the Guards opened the door, Horstmayer stood up and waited on the farther side of the cell. He knew better than to try to salute, lest it look like irony, so he just nodded. "Good morning, sir." 

The Admiral made himself comfortable inside the cell, sitting on the bench and gesturing the Guards to leave. Horstmayer was unsure if he should join him or remain standing. He remembered only addressing superiors, including ones from other Service Branches, when addressed, so he respectfully looked down and kept the distance. 

"Come sit with me, _Oberleutnant_ , I don't bite." The lack of protocol startled him, and the Admiral must have sensed it. "That's an order, if it makes you feel better." 

Horstmayer sat on the bench as far as possible with impeccable posture.

The Admiral resumed speaking. "What happened yesterday was unfortunate. I see it for what it was, two people not reaching an agreement, things escalating fast. A trainwreck, but entertaining to watch. I must add Captain Weintropp is very strict, but a good man."

Horstmayer almost scoffed.

"The thing is, Lieutenant, we are low in resources, and the Captain is trying to manage the situation the way he can. Nothing you could have done differently would have changed that fact."

Horstmayer looked at him, calmly sat at the cell like he owned the place.

"Permission to speak, sir?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"It could have been said from the start. My men are going back to the front the day after tomorrow- tomorrow, and I fear for the outcome."

"I understand, but defying the Captain put you in a position where those men may not be your men anymore."

"I know, sir." Karl looked down. 

"Yet, you are mostly worried about them, not about the dressing down. You should be more worried, Lieutenant."

"Sir, if you allow me, what we are living there could not compare to being demoted or even thrown in jail. If the Captain thinks differently, frankly, that's not my problem."

"I see." The Admiral said seriously. "You could still have tried to negotiate, tried to-" He was interrupted by the Lieutenant. 

"I'm sorry, sir, but you were there. Nothing I said could reach the Captain, you said so yourself. I reckon I was set to fail from the start." Horstmayer said sincerely, and was once again surprised by the Admiral, who started chuckling. He looked at the man, astonished. 

"Now  _ that _ is true, isn't it?" The Admiral said while taking the forgotten hat and playing with it.

Horstmayer was at a loss for words. This higher up was just admitting there was a trap involved and that he could not have done anything to prevent falling prey to it? 

His line of thought was interrupted by the Admiral asking, "Did they feed you? You look like you need some food."

Horstmayer couldn't, for the life of him, not to answer to this one. "No, but I guess it just proves the point the Captain was right and we are low in resources."

This time it was Windward who was shocked into silence before start laughing. 

After a few moments, he sobered up. "You do know you'll still have to apologise to Captain Weintropp, don't you?"

Not much to think on this one. "Yes, sir. It is the correct thing to do, what I did was insubordination." 

"The man didn't give supplies to your Regiment, will get you demoted and almost broke your nose- and yet, he is the one who deserves an apology." The Admiral said almost to himself, shaking his head.

"I should have known better than that." Horstmayer said mostly to himself, too.

After a few moments of silence, the Admiral spoke. "You must be wondering what I've come here for." 

Horstmayer nodded once.

"I've been in service for many years, Lieutenant. And after some time, we start to forget why we do what we do. People like you- the things you've said there to Captain Weintropp - they remind me of why I'm still at the Service. Fighting for our country, but doing our best to ensure the safety of our men." 

"Thank you, sir." 

As the Admiral started to stand up, Horstmayer followed suit. "I arranged for you to be taken to the presence of Captain Weintropp first. Ready?"

Horstmayer was thankful, it would be less humiliating talking to the man before the dressing down ceremony. "Yes, sir. I just want it to be done already. I'd even offer to clean my uniform before being in his presence again," he pointed matter-of-factly to the blood on the front of his jacket, "but I guess he would deny my requisition."

Windward started to chuckle, followed by Horstmayer.

"You know something, Lieutenant Horstmayer- you are a good man."

"Thank you, sir."

"Let's go, son," Windward gestured for the Lieutenant to follow him. 

.:.

They parted ways on the way to  _ Hauptmann _ Weintropp's office. 

"Take him to Captain Weintropp," the Admiral said to the two Security Guards flanking Horstmayer. To the Lieutenant, he said, "I will meet you two there shortly."

Horstmayer was about to thank the Admiral, but was stopped by one of the Guards pulling him by the arm and guiding him down the hall. 

They took him straight to the Captain, this time closing the door of the room. 

"Well, look who is here, if that's not Lieutenant Karl Horstmayer. Or maybe not a Lieutenant for much longer…?"

Horstmayer looked him directly in the eyes.

"Was his little trip to the brig uneventful?" The Captain asked the two Guards, who assented.

"Permission to speak, sir." Horstmayer tried to remain calm.

"Denied, Lieutenant." The Captain said with a smirk. "You already talked too much, yesterday. You are a disgrace to this uniform, but you will be relieved of it soon enough."

At this moment they heard a knock on the door, and Admiral Windward and Major Weinthal joined them in the room. The Captain saluted them, still smirking. 

"I brought a friend, if you don't mind," Windward said pointing to Weinthal. "He would like to be present."

"You are both welcome, sirs. You arrived at a good time, I was telling  _ Leutnant, _ oh, my mistake,  _ Oberleutnant _ Horstmayer what I think about the outcome of his insubordination. Major Weinthal, I believe Admiral Windward filled you in?"

"Yes, he did. He asked me to accompany him in order to show solidarity to a fellow comrade. You did not deserve being treated as you were. He should apologise," Weinthal said looking at the impassive Lieutenant.

Horstmayer felt like he could just turn around and leave. The bullshit was reaching an unspeakable level fast.

"Nothing he says would ever compensate for his accusing and lying words, that's why he is going to be dressed down soon after this meeting," Weintropp stated seriously.

Horstmayer felt his blood pressure rise and his hands go cold. 

"Oh, I'm sure of that. But I'd like to hear the man speak, if you don't object," the Major said conversationally. "You may like to hear what he has to say, too."

"Of course, sir. Go on," he gestured for Horstmayer to speak. 

"Captain Weintropp-" Horstmayer inhaled and exhaled before continuing. "I apologise for my behaviour yesterday. It was not the way one should address a superior and-" Horstmayer was struggling to say the words without allowing them to be tainted with anger, "you were right in punishing me for insubordination. Sir."

The Captain was beaming at that. "Something else?"

"I'd ask you not to punish my Regiment for my wrongdoings, sir." 

The Captain was taken aback by this. He was about to say something when Admiral Windward stepped in.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Horstmayer. We'll take it into consideration. Now, as a symbol of good faith and to leave the past behind, I suggest the ceremony is held here, at this moment."

The Captain started to protest, thirsty for more humiliation. "Sir, I believe he should be taken to the courtyard for that-"

Major Weinthal stopped him. "No, I insist, too." 

The Captain deflated and assented. "Guard, uncuff Lieutenant Horstmayer."

Karl did his best not to massage his sore wrists or touch his throbbing face.

"Lieutenant, attention!" That was the Captain's voice breaking the spell. Horstmayer stood at attention immediately.

"Do you allow me?" The Major asked Captain Weintropp in a serious tone. 

"Of course, sir!" 

"Thank you. Guards, you bear witness to what is going to happen here." 

"Yes, sir," they said in unison.

The Major came closer to Horstmayer, and looked him pointendly in the eyes until the Lieutenant looked at him instead of looking ahead. When he did, the Major bowed minutely his head. Horstmayer was confused, but continued standing still. He dared looking to the Admiral, who winked. Was he seeing things?

" _Oberleutnant_ Karl Horstmayer, due to all that has come to happen in the last few days, and the years before, the Army has decided you should not keep your rank."

Karl felt his hands going clammy and a cold sweat breaking on his back. 

"I therefore relieve you from the rank of  _ Oberleutnant." _ Major Weinthal proclaimed as he started to  remove the uniform's existing insignias. 

When the Major was done, Karl thought belatedly that it should be hurting more than it was. As it were, he just wished for it to be over, a kind of detachment starting to set over him. He could see in his peripheral vision the Captain enjoying every second of it, but could also see that Windward had a playful smile on his face and the two Guards were mostly looking like empathising with him.

Major Weinthal searched inside the satchel he was carrying and produced new insignias. 

Captain Weintropp was almost giddy with the whole thing until… 

"Any words,  _ Hauptmann _ Horstmayer?" Major Weinthal proclaimed while attaching the new insignias to a flabbergasted Horstmayer's bloody uniform.

The Guards discreetly looked at each other, not understanding. 

" _WAS IST DAS_?! Are you crazy?" The Captain was almost yelling. 

"No, Captain," Major Weinthal kept at calmly attaching the insignias. "We are just honoring someone who fights for his men like Horstmayer here."

"And you should be relieved that you won't have to deal with him anymore, as he will be responsible for his own Regiment's provision making," Admiral Windward completed as he handed Horstmayer his hat. 

"Dismissed,  _ Hauptmann _ Weintropp." The Major ordered.

As the appalled man left the room almost in autocombustion, the Admiral gestured for the two Guards to leave, too. 

The moment they closed the door, first Admiral Windward then Major Weinthal shook hands with the now Captain Horstmayer. If the poor man looked a little in shock, or his hands were shaking, they did not say anything. 

Instead, they guided him to the cabinet with drinks, the Admiral serving three generous doses of Weintropp's whisky while the Major sat on the couch, both of them owning the place, to Horstmayer's delight. 

_"Prost!"_ The two of them said first, followed by Karl.

And as the now Captain Horstmayer drank the expensive whisky, his empty stomach making him a little giddy soon enough, the Admiral and the Major discussed details of his new position, to whom he should talk to in order to provision his Regiment, shared anecdotes and stories...

He made two new friends - and allies - that day. Things were finally looking up.


End file.
